Our Life in Ecuador

Cheerleading Again

2010-09-11T09:02:00.000-07:00

So, I had actually stopped working with the cheerleading program here back in May because the head coach left in order to pursue her own career full time. I definitely missed working with the girls, but there were 6 other coaches and I just didn't know where I fit in there. However, this past week, they had some coaching changes, and the athletic director asked me if I was interested in returning as the main coach for the coed and senior all girl squads. I thought about it over the weekend and decided I'd go for it. I told Wilson that I know it will stress me out as cheerleading always does but that it would also keep me busy. I just spend too much time alone here and need something productive to do with my time.

I'm definitely having to make a few changes because there is a slight lack of commitment and dedication on one of the teams, but I think we'll get back on track soon. The coed team is going to be lots of fun, I think. I teach most of those guys, so I already have a good relationship with the kids which really helps.

And, I'm bound to learn more Spanish this way! The other coaches only speak Spanish, and many of the older girls on the all girl team only know Spanish as well. So, I try to have practices in Spanish as much as possible. (Of course, when I was frustrated the other day, I just told them I'd have to speak in English and one of my students would translate. Ha!) And I'm getting to kind of see better how the cheerleading community here in Guayaquil works.

So, Go Toros!!!!

Small Pleasures...

2010-09-11T08:51:00.000-07:00

So, I'm really enjoying the new apartment! And we're slowly getting it furnished. After 2 weeks without a fridge, it was soooo exciting to have one again! We now have a fridge and a stove. The stoves here are all gas with a big gas tank next to it. It still kind of freaks me out to cook with flames coming up, but I'm slowly getting used to it. :o) We also have a tv and two plastic chairs--a very elegant living room. Ha!

Another exciting discovery I've made is that we have an extra room. We knew there was a random door to what looked like an attic type of room, but it turns out it's an additional room, with hardwood floors, outlets, windows, and everything. You have to climb a ladder to get up there, so we couldn't really get any furniture up there. But, maybe eventually I could make it into a dorky reading room with beanbags and pillows or something. :o)

And, it's also been really nice to just have access to go places. I can easily walk to the mall or the grocery store or whatever. I don't feel as trapped in as I did at my other apartment. I definitely think this was a great move!!!

Winter

2010-08-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

So, while everyone is dying in Georgia from the unbelievably high temperatures and horrible humidity, the weather has actually gotten quite nice here in Guayaquil. This is technically "winter" in South America, but here in Guayaquil I'm still wearing shorts and flip flops. But, I don't sweat as much! Ha! That's really the only difference during the middle of the day. It still gets pretty hot, but it's bearable.

But, the real difference is in the mornings and evenings. There is a wonderful breeze that cools everything down and is so nice. I've even put on a sweatshirt a few nights (of course, I'm still in shorts though).

If the weather were like this all year, it'd be great! Around November it'll start getting steamy again, but I'll certainly enjoy it for now!

My First Earthquake (and hopefully last!)

2010-08-14T10:19:00.000-07:00

So, I have now experienced my first earthquake. I believe that technically what I felt here was a tremor, but when the walls are all shaking, I call that an earthquake!

I was getting ready for school and was just finishing my shower when Wilson came and told me to get out and come with him. He asked if I didn't feel the earthquake, but since we live near the airport, I just assumed things were rattling a little from a plane passing over. But, I wrapped a towel around me and went and stood with Wilson in the door frame of our bedroom and hallway. And it was definitely all shaking--a very weird experience! Good thing we didn't have any furniture or decorations, I guess. Ha! Wilson also grabbed my pajamas and made me put those on while we were standing there (even though I was still soaking wet) because he said that it wouldn't be so good for me to be naked if we had to get out of the building. Such a wise man. Ha!

I asked Wilson later how he knew what to do, and he said he didn't really know, just something way back in his head told him to stand under a doorway. (As my younger brother would tell you, maybe Wilson once saw the Saved by the Bell episode where Lisa Turtle and AC Slater used that strategy when there was an earthquake at Bayside.) :o)

I guess it lasted for a few minutes, and then Wilson told me to finish getting ready. When we got in the car to go to work, Wilson looked at me and said, "Were you scared?" and I said, "Yes, actually I was a little." And Wilson quickly answered, "Me, too!!!"

It turned out it was like a 7.0 earthquake or something (comparable to the one in Haiti), but it was much farther below ground so it didn't cause much damage. And it was actually closer to Quito, so we only felt a lesser version really. Some of the white boards at my school were loosened from the walls, and my friend Hannah said a vase of hers fell off the table and broke, but no real damage anywhere here. Praise the Lord!!!! Under other circumstances, I don't think it would have been that scary to me, but since we've recently seen such horrible effects of earthquakes in Haiti and in Chile, it just really kind of changes the way I view things, you know? I just pray that my first earthquake experience will also be my last one!!

Home Sweet Home Part 2

2010-08-14T09:41:00.000-07:00

So, we moved into our new apartment a couple of weeks ago. It was a rather easy move actually because we don't have that much stuff down here--mostly just clothes and books. Ha! One of Wilson's brothers and two of his nephews came and helped us move, so I barely had to do anything. :o)

Our new apartment is an unfurnished apartment, which will save us tons of money in the future, but for a while we will have a pretty empty place. Unfurnished here in Ecuador means literally nothing--no fridge, no stove, no air conditioners, no mirrors in the bathrooms, nothing!! In each of the rooms, there's a big hole in the wall where you can install a wall unit air conditioner. Luckily, it's "winter" here, so we are just doing without an air conditioning for now. We put up a map of Guayaquil over the big hole in our bedroom b/c I got kind of freaked out that birds or something would come in there. Ha!

Our first night, we slept on the floor b/c our bed could not be delivered until the next day. These tiled floors were NOT comfortable!! Ha! But, our bed did arrive the next day, and we slept sooo good on our new king size bed!!!!

But, my two biggest fears about the apartment turned out just fine. We do indeed have hot water in both showers and enough pressure to flush our toilet paper down the toilet. (These are definitely luxuries we take for granted in the States!) :o)

And, we're really enjoying the neighborhood and area we're now in. I've walked to the mall a couple of times by myself, and last night Wilson and I walked to the mall to get dinner and just enjoy the more peaceful atmosphere. Oh, and there's this great bakery at the entrance of our neighborhood that we've gone to almost every day! Fresh, hot bread each morning! Yum!!!

So, it'll definitely take us a while to get everything we need here, but little by little I think this will be a great home for us!!

Random Facts about Wilson's Studies

2010-07-28T18:19:00.001-07:00

The medical program at the University of Guayaquil really is a great and challenging program, but the lack of resources is just amazing when we are so used to such excess in the United States, even at rather small universities. Here are a few interesting things concerning Wilson's studies in Guayaquil:
1. He has 10 classes at a time!!! So, Wilson actually takes 10 classes a week and they are year round classes, not semester long. He has 7 lecture classes and 3 labs. Obviously, the most challenging and time consuming class is anatomy, but Wilson also spends his time studying biology, biophysics, embryology, histiology, and a few more he told me in Spanish and I can't really translate (b/c I don't understand the words in Spanish or English!). Ha!
2. Students find and share REAL bones!!! Because the school doesn't have the resources to provide models of the bones and all, students just find them somehow and share. Wilson brings home these bones that a friend gave him to use to study. I still don't exactly know what it means that they "find" the bones, but I decided I might not want to know so I stopped asking! :o)
3. They have to rent cadavers!!! Again, the school has 100's of students but very few cadavers. In his lab classes, there are about 60 people crowded around one cadaver with everyone trying to see. So, Wilson and some friends get together and rent cadavers for a few dollars and go when the whole class isn't there with one of the assistants and study. Yikes! How bizarre!
4. Copyright laws clearly do not exist here!!! All of the textbooks Wilson has are copies. They buy them on the street just like you buy a Coke or an icecream. You can pay a little extra and get color copies which Wilson decided to do for a few of them so that he could see the pictures better (especially since the school has no models for them to use!) He was a little worried to spend the money, and I just laughed and told him to go for it. It was only like $30. I told him that in the States, he'd be paying $150 per book or more (not to mention he doesn't have any kind of tuition at all here!).

But, Wilson really is loving it. He studies really hard and is one of the top students in his classes. I've seen him get stressed a few times, but for the most part, he's just completely in his element. It's amazing to me that anyone could get that excited over bones, tissues, and muscles, but I guess he feels the same way about me and Shakespeare, Chaucer, and Milton. Ha! :o)

A New Place

2010-07-28T18:08:00.000-07:00

So, Wilson and I will be moving to a new apartment this weekend. We LOVE where we live, but it's just too expensive for what we need right now. We went apartment hunting about a month ago and found a really good deal on a much bigger apartment. We actually found my dream home when we were looking--it was a house for rent in a gated community with pool, tennis courts, etc., a brand new two story house with 3 bedrooms, huge kitchen, living room, dining room, and a cute little backyard. And it was only $360 a month!!!!!!!! But, it was too far out from the city. We really couldn't live there unless we both had cars. So sad!!!!

But, we found another place in the same area but just not quite as far out. It's a pretty big 3 bedroom apartment that's kind of on the river and still in a gated community (no pool though!). It's older, but we'll be able to fix it up the way we want so that'll be nice. And, it's close to lots of shopping and restaurants that I can easily walk to. It's unfurnished, so we're having to buy some stuff a little at a time, but maybe after a year it'll feel just like home. I'm really excited about this new place. It'll take some time to get settled there and get all the stuff we need, but I think it'll be well worth it!

But, the worst part is having to leave our landlord and her family. I've become very close with them since I go over there twice a week to tutor. But, they told me I'm still always welcome to come over and hang out, especially during the week when Wilson's at class until late. And, I still have an open invitation to visit their beach house. :o)

So, here's to Year #2 in Ecuador!

Reality Bites

2010-07-10T15:01:00.000-07:00

So, it's been a while since I've posted anything here, huh?! But, to be honest, I've kind of been in that place where all the newness and excitement has worn off and all of the reality has set in. Wilson has started classes and doesn't get home each night until around 9 or 10. And he even has classes all day on Saturday!!!! So, that leaves me alone way too much in a place where I don't have a car or too many friends. So, it's been pretty hard for me lately. I've been a bit down as I realize that we really are going to be here for another 5 years!!! Some days I just don't know if I can do that. I mean, five years without Chick-fil-a, Target, or Dr. Pepper?!! What kind of life is that?! Ha!

But, here are a few of the things that have happened over the past few months:

My 30th birthday: Well, I have said good-bye to my 20's, and it actually seems a little strange. We didn't do anything too exciting. We went to the beach for the day and just kind of relaxed a little. I had saved birthday cards from my parents and my grandmother which I opened on my actual birthday, so that was really nice. And, since I missed my cousin's wedding, the whole family sang happy birthday for me and sent it to me. I burst into tears when I saw it! (They weren't that bad of singers though!) :o) So, my 20's were definitely very good to me, and I hope the next 10 years will be filled with many happy and special moments, too.

Father's Day: We spent Father's Day with Wilson's dad at a family friend's house. Mr. Oswaldo was really glad we were there. I actually sat with him most of the time. And, in very Ecuadorian fashion, there were speeches given. (They even had a sound system and microphone when there were only about 15 of us in this guy's living room!) Three or 4 guys gave a speech about fathers, and one even read a poem. It was so hard not to laugh. They tried to get Wilson to give a few words, but he declined. I wonder if he'd be a speech-giver if he'd never moved. Hmmm... But, one of his brothers did say that they wished the best to my dad in Georgia, so that was really nice. :o)

4th of July: The school had a kind of all day party on the 3rd that we went to for a little while. It was kind of funny to celebrate July 4th with a lot of Ecuadorians. Ha! They served hamburgers, hotdogs, and corn on the cob. And they had fireworks (of course they set them off in the middle of the day so it actually felt more like warfare than celebration, but oh well.) It wasn't really anything that great, but it was a nice gesture. And an excuse for me to get out on a Saturday afternoon, so I did enjoy it.

We Got a Car, We Got a Car, We Got a Car, Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey!!!

2010-05-09T12:50:00.000-07:00

WE GOT A CAR!!!!!! While I was in Orlando, Wilson finally got us our car. We'd been looking and talking with dealerships and banks for a while, and now we finally have a car! It's a brand new, sand-colored Nissan Almera (I don't think they make those in the States), and it's an automatic! Wilson has been in heaven now that we can take our laundry or run to the grocery store so much more easily!!! Wilson bought several salsa and bachata CD's to play, and I made a CD of the Glee songs I have on my computer. We feel like 16 year olds all over again!!!!

Of course, I have no intention of driving any time soon. As Wilson said the other day, if you don't drive like a maniac and cut people off all the time, you're considered the bad driver. (Right after he said this, his statement was confirmed as a driver cut us off and then stared us down like we were idiots for staying inbetween the lines painted on the road!) Ha! But we'll see. I'm sure I'll get the desire to drive soon enough.

But, for now, I'm just happy to no longer have to dress according to which outfit was most comfortable for walking in the heat and least likely to target me on the bus as being a rich gringa. Ha! I even wore heels with my sundress last Saturday as Wilson took me to lunch!! :o)

2nd and 3rd Jobs

2010-05-09T12:41:00.001-07:00

So, I now have a 2nd job, and actually a 3rd job as well. :o) I have started tutoring English in the afternoons. Both of these tutoring jobs just kind of fell into my lap, but I'm really enjoying them.

On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, I tutor a 5 year old little girl named Priscilla, and she is the cutest thing in the world!!! Her mother is marrying an American guy and moving to Texas with him in August, so they want to get her as prepared as possible so she won't be too far behind when she starts school there. Mostly we just sing songs and play games. She's pretty hyper and her attention span is like 5 seconds long, but it's fun!

And then, my landlady asked me to tutor her 3 sons as well. So now on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, I walk over to their house and tutor. Her sons are ages 10, 11, and 15. They already know a good bit of English and they're excellent students, so we're able to do a lot of neat things. The youngest one, Alexander, is my little buddy. He walked me back to my apartment last Wednesday (our apartment is literally connected to their house, but he still wanted to walk me back). He shook Wilson's hand and checked out some of the new furniture his mom had recently given us. Ha!

It's actually really nice. Sometimes it's a bit overwhelming with school and tutoring, but it keeps me busy. Wilson starts back to school soon, and I need something to keep me from getting too lonely here at the house every afternoon. And, it's a nice little bit of extra money for us. Yay!

Cheerleading Worlds! Go Ecuador!

2010-05-09T12:19:00.001-07:00

So, at the end of April, I got to go with the cheerleaders from Colegio Americano to the Cheerleading Worlds competition in Orlando (at Disney World!!). It was actually two different competitions--one on Friday that was more "international" and then the one on Saturday/Sunday that was mostly American teams with a few international teams thrown in.

On Friday, they had a parade of nations to start the competition. I felt like I was in the Olympics! Ha! I marched in proudly with my Ecuador jacket and blended right in. (Yeh right, I stuck out like a sore thumb, but I thought it was lots of fun!!!) :o) There were teams from all over--Chile, Guatamala, Scotland, Germany, Jamaica, Thailand, Japan, etc. It was really cool to see how cheerleading has spread all over. My parents were able to come down, and they seemed to enjoy it, too. They sat with a few parents from Sweden and enjoyed talking with them.

On Saturday, the competition was more a showcase of the US's top teams, and there were definitely some great squads there!!! In our division, we placed 10th as a team and 5th as a country. The top 3 teams were American, the next couple were Canadian, and a country like Ecuador just can't compete with those teams at this point. But, we were very proud of the girls because they did a GREAT job on Sunday!!!

And then, on Monday, we just enjoyed Disney. I went with most of the girls to several of the parks and road the rides/roller coasters. Definitely not my thing, but they had fun laughing at how scared I'd get. Ha!

It was really neat to go and see cheerleading from a different persective. As part of an international team, coming from a South American country, it was interesting to see how much fun cheerleading still is down here versus the insane competitive nature it's taken on in the States. Don't get me wrong, I do miss the level of competition I had from Georgia, but it's kind of refreshing to see how sweet and excited these girls are about the whole experience! Less pressure and more fun!

But boy was it hard to return! After missing 5 days of school, I had all kinds of work to do when I got back. I'm still getting caught up! Not to mention just the jolt back into reality after spending a week at Disney World! :o) But I'm so glad I went!

(This last picture is of me and the head coach, Pamela. I'm definitely squatting! Ha!)

Update on Wilson

2010-04-18T11:19:00.000-07:00

So, Wilson is now officially in medical school and will begin his first year on May 17! Yay!

Here in Ecuador, instead of having an MCAT or something, they have what they call pre-university classes that you must take and pass in order to get into med school. It consists of various classes that are each 3 weeks long and pretty intensive. Wilson started in February and just finished last week. He had to take chemistry, biology, physics, and anatomy as well as Spanish (like a composition class) and Study Techniques. His classes were from 1:30-7 Monday through Saturday. The grades are on a 1-10 scale, and you had to make an 8 in order to pass. If you pass every class, you may register for med school. Wilson was one of the top students in every class. (In other words, he was the biggest dork! He had read the first chapter of each book before he ever went to the first class!!! Ha!) Ironically, his hardest class was Spanish! After failing the midterm, we studied together a lot for that one, and he was one of 3 in his class of 65 to pass it! (Good thing his sweet wife could help him learn all about thesis statements and argumentative essays!) And, he had the highest grade in his class in both Anatomy and Biology!

Needless to say, I am so proud of him! He works so hard and studies so much because he really enjoys all of that stuff. (Bless his heart, he always tries to tell me about what he's learning and I could seriously care less about the endocrine system or the processes of the pancreas! But I try to be nice and listen since he listens endlessly about all the novels I read.) He's also still working occasionally with various orthopedic surgeons here in Guayaquil. He even got to attend an international conference this weekend for the Ecuadorian Orthopedics Association because he's real good friends with the Vice-President of the organization. He worked with a Canadian doctor who was here for the conference and heard presentations from doctors from England, Argentina, Chile, etc. I also benefited from this because I got to go to the dinner on Thursday night with him at the Hilton Colon hotel (dress, heels, jewelry, and all!!! Yay!). We sat with the Canadian doctor, and he was really nice. He and Wilson laughed about the culture shock of doing surgeries here after being so used to the technology and resources available in the US and Canada.

So, I guess we'll be staying here for a while. Wilson really is so happy to actually be living out his dream, and I am just so excited for him. So, please continue to keep him in your prayers as he begins his first year. We know it will be tough, but Wilson is one of the hardest workers I have ever met. I pray that his passion and hard work will help him to be very successful!

Beach Trip with the Girls

2010-04-18T10:48:00.001-07:00

Right before classes started back, I went with 3 other girls who teach at my school to the beach for the day. They all teach in the primary school, so I don't get to see them much. But, we had an absolutely wonderful, relaxing time. We met at the bus station at 8 in the morning, took a $2.50 bus to the beach, rented chairs and umbrellas for $2 each, hung out all day, had lunch at a restaurant on the beach, and then took a $2.50 bus back to Guayaquil around 6. I spent less than $20 for the whole thing. And it's all so convenient. The people who rent the umbrellas and all also sell drinks right there on the beach for you. And various vendors walk up and down the beach selling everything all day. The others bought fruit from the vendors, but I went for the icecream guy! :o)

But the sun is sooo strong!!! I had 30 spf sunscreen which I applied twice while we were there. I was only actually in the sun for about an hour the whole day--15 minutes out in the water, 1 hour back under the umbrella, 20 minutes walking around, 1 hour under the umbrella, etc.), and I still got burned!!!! One of my friends said they now make 100 spf, so maybe I'll try that next time. :o)

The girls I went with are lots of fun, too! Hannah is the one I do a Bible study with each week. She's married to an Ecuadorian named Wilson, too! Ha! Alicia is also married to an Ecuadorian guy, and they had their first child almost a year ago. This was actually her first trip by herself since the baby, so she certainly needed a little break! And Cat is from Canada and seems to be quite the traveler. She was in Mexico before moving here. She has traveled all over South America while living here and is such a cool person! We decided we should do that once a month or something! After only 2 weeks of school, I'm totally in need of a beach trip again for sure!!! :o)

I Never Thought I Was Organized Until I Moved to Ecuador...

2010-04-18T10:26:00.000-07:00

So, I've been trying to write an update here for a few weeks, but with the start of the new school year, I've just been too busy. I returned to school for preplanning on March 22, and the students returned on April 5. And it has been a very interesting start for me. Here are a few of the highlights:

1. Schedules: I didn't actually find out what I was teaching until about 3 or 4 days before school started. I was at school a week and a half before they told anyone what classes they would teach. You'd think they'd have gotten that together before all the teachers returned. They kept telling us to hurry up and turn in our micro and macro plans for the year, but we didn't know what classes to plan for!
2. Changes: There's always a lack of communication at my school. And therefore, there are always changes that occur out of nowhere because no one gets told. For example, our schedules were changed 3 times once school started. Actually, this past Monday, I had students from one class enter my room, and I told them they didn't have my class until later in the day because the schedule had been changed Friday afternoon. They told me that it had been changed again that morning. About 10 minutes before the end of that class, I received my new schedule. Seriously? They tell the students about schedule changes before the teachers?! They also changed the lock on my classroom 3 or 4 days after the students came back and didn't tell me. It took me another 3 or 4 days to finally get someone to give me a new key. Aaahhhh!!!!!
3. Class Rosters: They don't actually give these to teachers either. After not having one for the first week, I went to ask if they had the official rosters ready or not. The secretaries looked at me like I was the strange one and said that yes, of course. Then they pointed me to a big stack of manila folders labeled by class. I just had to go through them and find mine for each of the classes I taught. Crazy me for thinking they would give them to us without us asking!
4. Students: My classes are quite overwhelming this year. I'm teaching 4 10th grade classes and 2 11th grade classes with a total of about 175 students. Grading papers is going to be a nightmare!!! The 10th grade classes are pretty tough, but I think I just need to be patient. So many of them are used to teachers who run a dictatorship, so when they come to my class they think they can go crazy. It's hard for them to learn the balance, so I've had to come down pretty hard on them. However, my 11th grade classes are really nice. They're the same students I had last year, so they already know my routine and how I do things.
5. Parents: One of my earlier posts talked about students who could take supletorios. Well, I have even still had to give additional supletorio exams this past week as students are still trying to pass from the year before. Which also means I have parents still coming to me. And since the school just lets them come whenever, they show up in my room unexpected quite often. I have had one mother come to my room everyday for the past week and a half. Then, on Thursday, she came 3 times! I actually had to get in her face and tell her to get out the last time. She still wouldn't leave, so I had to leave and go get someone to make her. I got so frustrated that I just started speaking English to her. Ha! She wouldn't stop talking and begging me to give her child a little gift of a few points (a few points for her daughter being 22 points). Yikes!
6. Heat: The heat really is getting to me. With no air conditioning in the classes and not really enough breeze from the windows or fans to keep 35 kids cool, I just drip with sweat all day. It's so gross! And it really wears me down actually. I'm sooo tired at the end of the day! But, Wilson and I are going to buy me an extra fan to just sit at my desk, so hopefully that will help!

So, all of that to say that I've had a crazy few weeks. It was definitely much easier to start the year back at Collins Hill. But, I remember that I thought it was kind of rough when I first started back in August, and I eventually got used to it and enjoyed my students. So, I just need to be patient. Wish me luck!

Home is Where the Heart Is

2010-03-15T12:38:00.000-07:00

Well, after being in the States for 6 weeks, I'm now back in Ecuador, sweating as the fan tries to cool me down. And though I certainly loved being in Georgia again, I couldn't wait to come back home to Wilson. I actually feel like I learned a lot about the concept of "home" while I was there. When we first moved to Ecuador, I remember a conversation Wilson and I had:
Me (whining): Don't you miss being back home?
Wilson (confused): What do you mean?
Me: Don't you miss our house and your job and your friends and your car and all? You know, aren't you homesick?
Wilson (as if this was a simple answer): Well, you're my home, so since you're here, I feel at home.

Boy did I feel like a jerk! I certainly had not thought of it like that, but after being away from him and from our new home, I certainly agree with the expression "Home is where the heart is." My home is with Wilson, and so I couldn't wait to return here, even if it meant tripping over iguanas and living without air conditioning. :o)

But, I had a great time in Georgia! Eating at all my favorite places, having Christmas with my family, watching movies and dumb music videos with my brothers, going to Target with my sister-in-law, going to the Fox, having good hair days, spending the night with so many good friends, playing in the snow, having lunch with my grandmother, catching up with friends, having a surprise birthday party 3 months before my birthday (with an all-icing cake and all!), taking care of my mother after her surgery, visiting with former cheerleaders, and doing lots and lots of shopping!!!! I truly had a wonderful time!!!

And even though I will miss all of those good times, I couldn't wait to get back to my normal abnormal life. :o) I realized while I was in Georgia that I can't go back and everything be the same even if I wanted. My house has no furniture, CHHS has no positions available (nor does anyone else for that matter!), and everything's just a little different. So, I am now more excited to look ahead, to be in the present and the future instead of the past. My home is now wherever Wilson and I decide to live, and I'm very happy with that actually. (And, I think Wilson is, too. He had me a huge flower arrangement with about 14 roses waiting on me, and he's been just wonderful! I guess he's relieved and excited that I came back "home," too!) :o)

Georgia on my Mind

2010-02-02T07:53:00.000-08:00

So, I leave for Georgia tomorrow night!!! I'm soooo excited!!! First of all, I can't wait to experience all this cold weather everyone is talking about!!! It'll be a nice change from having to shower twice a day because of all the sweat here! It's soo sticky and gross! I also won't mind having a few good hair days for a change!

But, obviously, I'm most excited about family, friends, and food! With my family, I plan to go to the Fox, finally meet my new neice, celebrate Christmas in February, watch movies with my little brother, spend the night with my grandmother, go shopping with my mom and my sister-in-law, and get Saturday morning doughnuts with my older brother and nephew. With friends, I have a baby shower to attend, 3 newly engaged girls to visit, a girls' night full of banana clips and fun, a bathtub to use (only showers down here!), gossip to catch up on, a cheerleader sleepover with my girls to watch their State video!, and lots more! And, oh the food!!!! Chick-fil-a, Zaxby's, Mexican (lots and lots of cheese dip!!!), large Dr. Peppers/Mr. Pibbs with ICE, and of course, salmon patties, mashed potatoes, and English peas!!! Yummmm!!! :o)

Of course, I do feel a little bittersweet about my visit. Wilson will not be able to come with me because he has classes. So, I will be away from him for 6 WEEKS!!!! That's such a long time! The longest we've been apart is 2 weeks and that was torture for me! And, especially now that we are so used to being together all the time, just us, I know it will be even harder. But, if I did stay here, I'd go crazy. Wilson has classes 5 hours a day, 6 days a week, plus study time, and about 1 surgery a day. Sooo...my friends and family have assured me that they will keep me very busy, very happy, and very well-fed! :o) I can't wait!!

Graduation 2010

2010-02-02T07:35:00.000-08:00

Colegio Americano has 2 teachers serve as master of ceremony each year at their graduation ceremony--one Spanish speaker and one English speaker. This year, I was asked to be the English speaker. When I was first asked about it, I immediately said yes. I would get to wear a full length ball gown, get dolled up, and be on a stage! :o) I couldn't wait. Although all the students are fluent in English, many of their parents are not. Therefore, speaking the English parts of the ceremony wouldn't be that big of a deal.

However, at the first graduation meeting, I was informed that I would also be calling out the names of half of the students. Oh no!!!! Each student has 4 names: two first names, their paternal last name, and their maternal last name. Yikes! And my pronunciation of Spanish names is still sub-par!!! Not to mention the large number of Chinese students we have at the school. But, Wilson and I practiced all the names several times, and I think I did a pretty good job.

As for the dress, the school said they'd pay for me to rent one, so Wilson and I went to see about finding a dress. However, the majority of the ones I tried on were way too short. Ha! I just don't have the body of an Ecuadorian woman. :o) But, for some strange reason, I had brought a couple of my own dresses with me and decided on a bridesmaids dress I wore at a friend's wedding a few years ago. (It's amazing the random things I thought necessary to bring here to Ecuador, but surprisingly I've used most of them!) It felt great being a princess all night!

And the ceremony was really nice. A few speeches, a student band, and even a group of mothers who sang a song to their children. I was pretty nervous in the beginning and was shaking pretty bad (literally), but I relaxed as it went on. They kept making changes to our script throughout the night, and I was having to say various officials and board members names that I had not practiced. I ruined a few, but oh well. What did they expect from the girl with a Georgia accent?! :o) Overall, I had an absolutely wonderful experience!

(The first photo is of me and Geovanny, the other master of ceremonies; the second photo is of me and two of the English teachers at the school.)

A Second Chance (and a 3rd and a 4th, etc.)

2010-02-02T07:08:00.001-08:00

Well, I survived my first school year here in Ecuador. Okay, so I sort of cheated by coming in halfway through the year but still. Actually, I had just gotten the hang of it around the time it was ending. So, hopefully that will make me more prepared and ready for next year. Although there are several educational issues here that irk me, the main one is the suplitorio.

Ecuadorian education law states that students receive a chance to pass their classes even if they don't technically pass. If they fail for the year (passing grade is 68 here), they can take a test called the suplitorio. That grade is then averaged in somehow with their yearly average. For example, if a student has a 67 for the year, they can make a 73 on the suplitorio and still pass and get credit for the class. I think this can be a good thing in some ways. They do not take the suplitorio until the beginning of the next school year, so many of them really do spend their summer studying and getting tutored. Therefore, they learn the material better before moving on. It also gives students a second chance who may have had some kind of issues during the school year that kept them from doing their best.

However, many private schools take that a little too far. For example, my school actually offers a complementario for the 3rd bimester (we have 4 bimesters instead of 2 semesters) which actually REPLACES their entire 3rd bimester average. So, the lazy student who doesn't do any essays or projects or homework the entire time can make a 75 on the test and have a 75 average instead of a 40. Also, most private schools offer multiple suplitorios. So, if a student fails the suplitorio (which often happens because they just don't know the material which is why they failed the first time), the teacher is required to give another suplitorio and another suplitorio, etc. And, rumor has it that eventually they just tell you to pass the student. Errr...I'll see how that works out when I return to school in March.

I think that part of the problem is that they don't necessarily have a way to retake a course at my school. If you fail 10th grade Language Arts, they don't have a system that allows you to retake that class while taking all other 11th grade classes like we do in the States. Actually, I could never get anyone at the school to give me a solid answer about what happens if a student really does just fail. The only answer I ever got was that the student is just given a pass (given credit anyway) but told they have to go to another school. Hmmm...that doesn't sound too good either. But, since the school doesn't want to lose money on students leaving, I think they always just tell the teachers to pass them.

...Which may be why I have students in 10th grade, who have been at this bilingual school since pre-k, who still can't speak English to me. Social promotion is huge here, but with no other system in place for repeating classes, I'm not surprised. I have a feeling I'm going to get into some disagreements when I return in March. I just can't in good conscience pass a student to the next level when I know they will just fail again. But, we'll see...

Here's to 2010!

2010-01-02T15:04:00.000-08:00

So, Wilson and I decided to write down our New Year's goals this year. (Okay, so actually I decided it, but he was very nice to go along with it. Ha!) We've been so blessed in our lives so far, and we really look forward to what God will do in us and with us this next year. We had the usual stuff about being healthier and working harder at our jobs/school. But what I found most interesting was that both of us wrote down that we would like to be a better spouse in the next year. However, if you ask either one of us, we'll quickly tell you about how wonderful our spouse is already. And I guess that's why--we always want to keep trying to be better and make the other one a little happier. We have spent so much time together here that most couples never get to have. When we used to live in Georgia, we were both always so busy, and the time we spent together was few and far between. And, we're both aware that soon we'll be in that place again as Wilson will start school in February. But, I cannot begin to tell you how much fun we've had together, just the two of us. I was kind of down a few days ago and was even crying. Wilson's not one to just hug me and tell me everything will be alright. Instead, next thing I know, Wilson has turned on a music DVD of ours and is serenading me with the BeeGee's "How Deep is Your Love" and then with my favorite Wilson ballad, "Lady in Red." Ha! As we sat and just sang cheesy 80's love songs together, I looked at Wilson and realized how happy I am with him, no matter where we are living. It's so much fun to get to be married to your best friend and hang out with him all the time! So, I look forward to how much we will continue to grow in our relationship during this next year. (And, hopefully I'll stick to that "cut down on the Cokes" resolution, too! Ha!)

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T14:47:00.000-08:00

So, I really enjoyed bringing in the New Year here in Ecuador! First, we went with Wilson's friend Jose and his family to the Malecon (which is kind of like the riverwalk) to watch the fireworks off the water. It was so nice--the weather was breezy, the fireworks were great, and the company was delightful! Jose's little girl is about 4 years old, so it just kind of made it a little more exciting and fun! (That's Jose's family in the photo.)

Then, we went to Wilson's dad's house for the rest of the evening. (Yes, another night that did not end until 6 the next morning--oh my!) There was no real countdown at midnight. We just took all the anos viejos statues to the middle of the street, stuffed them full of fireworks, poured some gasoline on them, and then lit them on fire. Then, once they were burning pretty well, everyone turned to each other to say Feliz Ano and give hugs and all. I had a great time looking at all the different fires down the streets. The rest of the night, we ate, sang, danced, and talked. I had also made a video of photos of the family, and I think everyone really enjoyed watching it. The kids played with all kinds of fireworks--sparklers, bottle rockets, etc. And, we just had a really great time! So, here's to a fabulous 2010!!!

Anos Viejos

2010-01-02T14:27:00.001-08:00

Ecuador has a really cool tradition for New Year's. They make or buy these paper mache statues and then burn them at midnight on New Year's Eve. Crazy, right?! But these statues are called anos viejos, which means "old years". The idea is that they burn the past or the old year and start fresh for the new year. I kind of like that. I mean, the thought of a lot of intoxicated Ecuadorians lighting stuff on fire at midnight makes me a little nervous, but the idea really is nice! Ha!

But what I really liked was looking at all of these statues all over the city. You can find almost any cartoon character you'd like in all different sizes. In fact, some people make these really huge ones and we got to ride around and take photos of them. Some were bigger than a 3 story building! For example, my favorite was the King Kong one. They had arranged it so that you could climb a ladder into his hand. Then, the photo looks like King Kong is grabbing you! So cool! They also have some that are different politicians here in Ecuador, and we even saw a few Obama ones, too. Ha!

But, of course, the most popular one for this year was Michael Jackson. Ha! So, when Wilson asked me which one I wanted, I quickly decided on Mikey. It certainly reminded me of Ecuador the most. So, we bought a small one. I didn't want to have to burn him, but Wilson said it's bad luck to buy one and then not burn it, and I certainly don't want bad luck, soooo...I guess Mikey will have to die twice in 2009.

Christmas Gifts

2010-01-02T14:14:00.001-08:00

Gifts are certainly an exciting part of Christmas, and I had some very special gifts this year that I would never have expected to be so wonderful. Wilson and I decided to just go together and buy gifts after Christmas when we both had some time off from work. We've never been into spending lots of money on each other for gifts anyway, so this year we definitely stuck with the more practical gifts. I bought Wilson another pillow (he misses having lots of pillows on the bed) and a new belt since his had broken. He bought me a watch to wear with nicer clothes and a shirt to wear for New Year's. Neither of us spent more than $15, but we were both as happy as if we'd spent $150. The fun part was that we just spent some quality time walking around together and picking stuff out. I couldn't have asked for anything more.

But I also got two exciting "gifts" in the mail. My parents sent me a small package as we were trying to see if the mail was actually secure and if we could actually receive the package with more ease than we had when we first moved here. So, I got some socks, some pencils, a book, and lots of Kool-aid!!! We've actually already used 3 of the Kool-aid packets this week! Then, as a big surprise, my friend Holly sent me a care package full of letters and pictures from my former co-workers and friends at Collins Hill. I was soooo excited to sit and read them all! Afterward, I called everyone I knew to tell them how wonderful all my friends were!!! I always knew I was very blessed to work at Collins Hill, but I was certainly reminded again of that this Christmas. Thank you so much, Holly!

And, thanks to my sweet mom, I'll get to do Christmas all over again in February! Yay!

Christmas Day

2009-12-27T08:03:00.001-08:00

So, obviously we slept through most of Christmas day since we didn't get home until around 6:30am. And, for the rest of the day, we just spent it together. No gifts or anything, just time together. We woke up around 3 or 4 in the afternoon, and I made us French toast. We didn't have any syrup, so we just used condensed milk. It was delicious!!! Then, we watched 3 House episodes together. I had really wanted to go look at lights the night before, but we didn't have time. So, around 7pm, we went for a walk around the neighborhood. It felt like we were in Florida, especially with all the palm trees in the neighborhood. I was so happy to take pictures finally in our neighborhood. I've wanted some pictures of the houses here because they are absolutely gorgeous! And, I have laughed at how many people have decorated with snowmen when Frosty would definitely have melted already! After our little walk, we came back and watched about 3 more movies before going to bed. It was a completely uneventful yet absolutely wonderf ul day!!

Christmas in Ecuador

2009-12-27T07:24:00.000-08:00

So, my first Christmas in Ecuador...here's the play by play.

First, we went to Christmas Eve Mass. They actually had a mass here in our neighborhood outside at the park that's right on the river. It was so nice and so peaceful. Obviously, it was a little difficult for me as I couldn't understand everything that was being said and because I don't know all of the Catholic traditions, but it still felt right to be at a Christmas Eve church service.

Then, we went over to our landlord's house and visited for a while. They really are wonderful people. We got to meet all of their family, I had some hot chocolate, and Senor Noritz gave us a really nice book of Guayaquil as a gift. I had taken them a plate of treats that had Rice Krispie treats, ritz crackers with peanut butter dipped in chocolate, and Oreos, and everyone loved them! :o) Elizabeth and I took lots of pictures together because she likes to do so, too. Lots of fun!

Finally, we ended up at Wilson's brother David's house. Here, people celebrate Christmas more like New Year's. We didn't get to David's house until around 11pm and didn't eat dinner until around 12:30am! At midnight, everyone stopped and toasted and hugged each other saying Feliz Navidad. There was talking, eating, drinking, laughing, dancing, and singing. They gave out a gift to each child that was there, and we also had gifts for Wilson's dad. And we partied until we saw the sunrise around 6 in the morning. (I was definitely ready to go home by then!)

On the way home, I must admit I started crying a good bit. I was tired and that made the homesickness a little worse, I'm sure. As my older brother told me, change sucks sometimes, and it's hard when other people don't do Christmas the "right" way like your family always did it. But, regardless of how you do Christmas, the important thing is that you do so with your spouse. (Who knew Bryan Trice had such good brotherly advice, right?!) :o) But it's true. I certainly miss being with my family, and I have been so spoiled at holidays because we never had to share with Wilson's family like most couples do. I always got to be with my family, and now it's Wilson's turn. Christmas with family is what's most important, and we had that here in Ecuador. And, my mom has already reassured me that we'll be having Christmas again in February when I visit, so I'll just get the best of both worlds this year! Feliz Navidad!!!!

American Christmas Party

2009-12-27T07:13:00.000-08:00

My friend Hannah, who teaches primary at Colegio Americano, decided to host a Christmas party at her house for the Americans on the 19th. She asked us to each bring something that reminded us of Christmas back home, and she would provide the turkey. I brought a jello salad because I don't have an oven and couldn't find ingredients for many of the things I would normally cook. We also stopped at a bakery and picked up some fresh bread--delicious!! Everything was so nice! We had mashed potatoes, broccoli salad, deviled eggs, and everything! And it was a nice group as several of the Americans there had Ecuadorian spouses. We had a really good time together.

We also did a white elephant gift exchange. We were supposed to just take something random we had at our house and wrap it up. Well, we haven't been here very long, so we haven't accumulated too much that we don't actually need. I did have an extra copy of a SAT vocabulary cartoons book, so I brought it. Unfortunately, everyone else brought nice presents like photo albums and lotion and Christmas decorations. Poor Hannah's husband! He got my gift. He's Ecuadorian as well and was a little distraught that he only got a book of English vocabulary. Ha! Oh well. We still had fun all the same! We also decided that maybe in the future we could just have get togethers for game nights. Yay!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

2009-12-27T07:03:00.000-08:00

One of the things I've really liked about the holiday season here is that nativity scenes are much more popular than Santas or snowmen or whatever (although you do still see a lot of that, too). Because of Ecuador's Catholic background, nativity scenes are everywhere! And it's been so interesting to see all the different kinds. Even the malls focus more on the nativity than on the secular aspects. For example, at one mall, the Santa area is off to the side and is much less the focus than the huge nativity scene in the middle. And one shopping center had a moving nativity scene where the characters and the animals would rotate their heads and arms and all. Really cool! I wish I could have taken more photos, but I couldn't always take my camera with me. Hopefully, next year I'll get more photos, but here are a few that I did get.

Holiday Work Party

2009-12-27T06:45:00.001-08:00

The school had their annual Christmas party for the faculty after the students left on the 23rd. We had been told the party would be from 1:30-7, and I thought that there was no way I would want to be at a work party for that long. But boy was I wrong!!! I stayed until the very end and was even a little sad that it was over! Ha!

This year's party actually had a theme--80's! Ha! But, really, they didn't actually do that much with the theme other than decorate really cute and play some great music at the very beginning! They told us that we could dress as our favorite 80's person, but I decided I still didn't know everyone well enough to come as my best Cyndi Lauper impersonation. (I also don't really have anything but my "normal" clothes here in Ecuador--all my costumey stuff is still back in the States!) There were a few people who may have been dressed up, but they may also have just been dressed in their own tacky way. It's sometimes hard to tell down here. :o)

But, they had food and all (which was okay), and then they started the dancing! About 85% of the staff was up dancing, and it was so much fun! We danced to merengue, salsa, reggaeton, and then some good older stuff like YMCA, In the Navy, and of course some Michael Jackson. :o) They also had a karaoke contest which was absolutely hilarious! And they gave away door prizes throughout the night. The last prize was a really nice flat screen tv, and it was nice because one of the guys on the custodial staff got it and was really excited!

At the end of the night, I was a little concerned about how I was going to get home because Wilson was at work and the taxi company wasn't answering my call. But, then, one of the Ecuadorian teachers I'm friends with came and found me to see if I was riding on the school bus or not. Yay! After the party, the teacher school bus took us home!!!! Ha! Such good times indeed! :o)

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful...

2009-12-27T06:34:00.000-08:00

But not in the same way! It is so stinkin hot down here!!!! December, January, and February are the hottest months here in Ecuador, and I have sure felt it! And so it just didn't feel like Christmas! I was wearing shorts and flip flops, I wasn't buying gifts for anyone, and I wasn't eating lots of Christmas goodies. And, I wasn't able to be around all of my family. But, Wilson and I tried to make the most of the weather. We went in our summer clothes and took pictures at the mall. The first time we went, Santa was on break, and we didn't have time to wait for him to return. But, we went back again on Christmas Eve, and we were able to get our photo with Santa! When we were in line, I looked at Wilson and just started laughing. I told him that I guess one good thing about being in Ecuador is that I can get him to do things he would never do in the States--he would certainly NEVER have gone to the mall for a photo with Santa with me before! Ha! But, it was fun, and we enjoyed our little photo shoots. Good memories for the future!

My Students

2009-12-27T06:18:00.000-08:00

Although there are a lot of things I don't really like about my school, teaching is still enjoyable because of the kids. Of course they frustrate me and make me angry at times, which just means they're normal 10th grade students. They were pretty unwilling to work before Christmas, but that's just because it's the end of the year for them. They will come back for a week of review and end of year stuff in January, and then they start their finals. (which means I'm almost done, too!) :o)

We had school until the 23rd, so they had a few Christmas activities for the kids. On the 22nd, the school hosted a neighboring elementary school that's in one of the poorer neighborhoods. They had games and food and presents for the kids. It was really pretty cool! And, on the 23rd, the kids just hung out basically and then had a sort of Christmas presentation. A few of the other American teachers and I have noticed that every school presentation turns into a form of a talent show, and this one was no different. They had hip hop routines and student band performances and everything. Again, completely unorganized, but the kids seemed to be happy!

Cheerleading Competition

2009-12-27T06:09:00.000-08:00

So, the school asked me to be a judge for the competition they were hosting. They were flying in 2 other girls from Texas, but they wanted me to help out as well. The talent overall is pretty much equal to teams in the US; the only really noticeable difference is that everything here is so unorganized. Over half the teams that were supposed to come didn't even show up because they didn't have enough girls show up that morning. And many of the routines reflect that same lack of organization.

But at least no one tried to hurt us! Last year, there were a lot of angry parents and they were throwing watermelons and stuff at the judges. Luckily, they took us inside to the director's office until all the parents and coaches left. So, overall I really enjoyed it!

Feliz Dia de Pavo!

2009-11-27T13:29:00.001-08:00

I was not expecting Thanksgiving to be that big of a deal because obviously they don't celebrate it here. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the little bit of celebration we had at my school.

First, they had a flag football game for the American teachers vs. the American Consulate. I was supposed to play, but since I never made it to a practice and the sun was at its strongest, I decided to just sit it out in the shade! :o) They also had a soccer game between the Ecuadorian teachers and the Ecuadorians who work at the Consulate. Lots of fun for the teachers and students alike. (And, of course, we won!)

Secondly, the students went home at 12:30, and the school had a luncheon for the teachers at 1. The picky eater in me didn't really like the food, but I certainly liked the idea of it. Ha! The auditorium was decorated so nice, and the strawberry cheesecake was quite tasty!

But, the best part of the day for me was the skit performed by some of the elementary students at the school. They had such elaborate costumes as they reenacted the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims and the Indians. They also sang songs after the skit. Soooo cute!!!!

So, at the end of the day, I certainly had much to thank God for. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Four Years Strong...

2009-11-27T13:15:00.001-08:00

Well, Wilson and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary on November 19. Sometimes it seems like such a long time, but most of the time it seems to have just flown right by! I can't really go places without Wilson, so I just made him a homemade card with some scrapbook paper I had here at the apartment. But, he was wonderful! He bought me TWO Hallmark cards and even wrote personal messages in both! (For those of you who know me, you know how big a deal that is to me!!!) :o) He also brought me this huge flower arrangement of roses and 2 beautiful sunflowers in the middle. It's great because flowers are so incredibly cheap here, so I get to feel extra special at a 1/4 of the cost! Ha! :o)

Then, we went to eat at my favorite restaurant. (It's the only place where I'll actually clean my plate here!) Afterward, we went down to the Malecon, which is the kind of river walk part of Guayaquil. We went for a boat ride along the river at night, and it was so lovely! The weather was perfect, the music was fun, and the company was wonderful! I couldn't have asked for a better date!

Obviously, such a big move like this has been difficult on both of us and on our relationship at times, but it helps to know that in good times and bad, we're in it together. Wilson is a WONDERFUL husband and has certainly earned the love and respect I have for him!

Lights Out!

2009-11-27T13:04:00.000-08:00

Because of lack of rain here in Ecuador, the hydro-electric power plant is low on water. So...the government started just cutting power in various areas here in the city each day. In the beginning the times were not very consistent. However, now most people know that their power will go out at certain times each day--for example, from 8-10am and from 4-6pm. We're pretty lucky in that our house doesn't get affected by this. We're not exactly sure why, but we aren't complaining (especially because many people here also don't have water when the power goes out.).

One of the first days they started cutting power, one of Wilson's friends was scheduled to do a surgery. The hospital had talked to the power company and was told that the power would not be cut during the times of the surgery. (Unfortunately, not all the hospitals or smaller clinics have generators.) So, they started the surgery, had the guy under anesthesia, and then, oops, the power went out. They had to wake him back up and tell him to come back the next day!!! Thank goodness they hadn't already started cutting!!!!

It also makes traffic a mess. Since power goes out in most places from 4-6pm, the traffic is at its heaviest when all the lights go out. Really good planning, huh? And, sometimes there are policeman directing traffic, and sometimes there are not. Oh my!

From what we've heard, they might even continue this until March!!!! So crazy!!!

Noche de Gala

2009-11-27T12:52:00.000-08:00

So, Colegio Americano has a huge talent show each year for the students. I had no idea it was such a big deal when I first heard about it, but I certainly learned later that the Noche de Gala was THE event of the year. (My first hint should have been that the students were allowed to miss class 2-3 days a week for about a month or two to practice.)

Anyway, the event was incredible. It was held at a local theatre, and it lasted 4 hours!!!!! One of the numbers was a full version play of Midsummer Night's Dream. There were hip hop routines, traditional Indian dances, Whitney Houston songs, violin Disney medlies, and band after band after band. (I really think that at least half of the students at my school are in a band.) And the cheerleaders even did their routine (on the stage floor--no mats!)

I was really quite impressed. My only complaint was that teachers were required to stay backstage and chaperone the students. I really wanted to watch though, so I snuck up to the balcony and watched as much as I could. The principal yelled at everyone the following day though for not being good chaperones. Oh well. :o) I'm glad I could tell my students I saw them perform.

Answered Prayers

2009-10-27T14:36:00.000-07:00

So, Wilson got a job working as a surgical assistant!!!! It all just kind of happened out of nowhere. He went to a couple of hospitals on a Tuesday to see if he could get some work, and one of them told him to come on Thursday and they'd try him out. It was only going to be a two week unpaid clinical for them to see if they could find a position for him. But, on that first day, he met an orthopedic surgeon who immediately took a liking to Wilson. So, the next day, Dr. Naula hired Wilson. And, he's also introducing Wilson to all kinds of big surgeons here who have all told Wilson that they are more than happy to help him when he starts med school.

Now, Wilson feels much happier and excited as he gets to be in surgery again as well as meet some great surgeons. And, we're in a much better place financially. We're even starting to think that a car might be in our future!!!! (The surgeon even offered to basically cosign on a loan since we don't really have any credit here.) Praise Jesus!

And, although this has been great professionally, it's also been nice socially. One Friday night the surgeon took us out to dinner with his wife and last weekend he invited us to his house for a party. His wife is Canadian, so it's nice that we can talk. The party was lots of fun, and everyone was really nice with us. I'm learning to hold my own when it comes to socializing in Spanish. And, even when I don't understand, I just smile a lot and nod my head and no one knows the difference. Ha! :o)

My First Photo Shoot

2009-10-27T14:26:00.001-07:00

So, it's a shame I had to come all the way down here for someone to appreciate my true beauty as a pale redhead! The school has photographers come in periodically and do photo shoots for all the PR stuff (school website, brochures, billboards, etc.), and typical of Ecuador, they like to have the "lighter" people in the pictures. So, they asked me, my friend Willa from Holland, and 2 of the younger American guys to be in the photo shoot. They brought in people to do our hair and makeup and everything!!! (They even made the guys wear makeup. Ha!)

Ironically, the photo was of the 4 of us in front of flags from different countries even though we were not really a diverse group. In fact, only about 5% of the school is even made up of gringos at all! (Though 95% of the publicity photos are of gringos!)

But, oh well. I enjoyed it anyway. The makeup was definitely too much for me as I'm not really into large amounts of eyeliner, but I had a blast! I even made Wilson take me out for dinner afterward. Ha!

Jackson's Festival

2009-10-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

So, Michael Jackson is certainly well-loved here in Ecuador--to the point of obsession actually. And so, I wasn't even that shocked when the theme for the school carnival was "Jackson's Festival." Every year Colegio Americano has what they call their Kermesse. Basically, it's what we would consider a big fall carnival (though "fall" doesn't actually exist here). Everyone acted like it was a big deal, but I had no idea until I arrived how big a deal it really is! There were all kinds of games and foods and entertainment! They turned the auditorium into a discoteca and put a huge stage out on the basketball court. They had bingo with prizes like two tickets to the Galapagos or even a new car. (Unfortunately, we did not win!) Wilson and I really did have a nice time there. Of course, the only problem was that it was sooo hot and the sun was so strong that we didn't really stay too long. But, we stayed long enough for me to have a delicious snow cone and some cotton candy! :o)

I Love the Fair!!!

2009-10-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

So, I was feeling a little bummed because I was going to miss the Perry Fair, but as it turns out, there is a fair here during October as well! It's in a small town outside of Guayaquil only 10 minutes from where we live. So, we went last night and had a great time! I just love going to fairs, and the one here did not disappoint! Here are some of the highlights:

1. Carnies: My brother Bryan and I had laughed earlier about what carnies here must be like. I mean, if the fair workers in the States are that sketchy, how much worse must they be in a 3rd world country? But, it was quite the opposite! The carnies were pretty decent and clean cut here. Wilson took his photo with one of them as proof. :o)

2. Food: I had 2 things of cotton candy and the Ecuatorian version of funnel cake! Delicious! :o) They didn't have as much variety of meats on a stick like you'd see in Perry, but they still had plenty. (Of course, most of those vendors are found any day of the week on the streets!)

3. Vendors: They had all kinds of neat stuff for sale--from jewelry to clothing to furniture! They had all kinds of cute artistic decorations for children's rooms that were just precious! I bought a dress for my new neice and two pair of shoes for me! (The shoes were 2 for $9!) :o)

4. People: Although going to the fair in the States brings out some of the strangest and weirdest looking people, the fair here had some of the prettiest people I've seen since moving here. Mainly because most of the vendors and advertisers had women with fake everything walking around to get attention for the businesses. But trust me--you will not see those women on the streets of Guayaquil! I have no idea where they came from! Again, Wilson so graciously volunteered to have his photo made with them. Ha!

We are the Toros, the Mighty, Mighty Toros!

2009-10-05T13:55:00.000-07:00

The cheerleaders had a big competition this past weekend and won! And, by winning, they earned a bid to go to the Worlds Competition in Orlando in April! How cool! They actually didn't do their best, but they were hands down the winners. They have a lot of talent. What they really lack is just the clean precision that most American teams have. Hopefully, the coach will let me work with the girls once a week on that so that they'll be ready to compete in the States. It's actually been pretty hard to get the girls motivated because they don't have much competition down here. It's hard to want more than mediocrity if you don't really need it. But, I think that now they have something more exciting to work toward!

And, on a humorous note, there is actually no age limit for the international open division. It's just 14 and up. We have several girls in their 20's on the team and even one 25 year old. The coach told me that I was welcome to cheer with the girls if I wanted. Ha! Although there is a small part of me that would love to compete again, just to see if I could, I would not be caught dead wearing a short little cheerleading skirt or that crazy blue eye shadow! Ha!

So, if the girls can raise the money, we'll be coming to Orlando in April! Yay!

(By the way, these photos are from a performance they did at the baseball game. I couldn't take my camera to the competition because I had to ride several buses that day and didn't want it to get stolen. Bummer!)

Dr. Fix-It

2009-09-29T15:21:00.000-07:00

So, Wilson really can't wait to be a surgeon. Yesterday, I come home to find that Wilson has a gash in his leg because the mop broke and stabbed him while he was cleaning. So, he decided he needed stitches and would just do it himself. No, I promise I'm not making this up--see pictures below for proof.

He flushed out the wound and shaved the area around it. Then, he sat down on our bed to begin. We didn't have any alcohol or peroxide, so he just sprayed cologne all over the wound. (Now, everytime he wears that particular cologne, I'm going to get sick to my stomach. Luckily, he has about 5 others. Ha!) Then, he took the package of needle and stitches that he had. Yes, my husband has these supplies. Weird, I know. He had leftovers from when one of the surgeons back in Gwinnett was teaching him stitching techniques and he used to practice on pig's feet in our living room. Again, yes, I know this is weird! Anyway, back to the story. Wilson just started stitching up his leg. He had no anesthesia; he just toughed it out. Meanwhile, I stared at the wall, telling him over and over again, "This is NOT normal. Normal people do NOT do this!"

And, well, five stitches later, Wilson's wound is closed up and looking great. Unbelievable!!!! And this is just part of the madness that is my life here in Ecuador. :o)

Thank God for the Internet

2009-09-27T09:15:00.001-07:00

So, I never would have thought that I'd become such a fan of the internet, but it has become my lifeline in so many ways while I've been here in Ecuador. I use email and Facebook regularly to keep up with family and friends, I try to keep this blog in order to share stories about my experiences, and I even have a class website since I don't have as many resources to hand to my students physically. But, the internet has also given me the opportunity to strengthen and sustain me spiritually!

Finding a church here has been quite difficult. There aren't many non-Catholic churches to begin with, and obviously they're all in Spanish. Since my Spanish is still not too strong, I just haven't really been that inspired to go sit through a 2 hour service that I won't understand too much. Hopefully, as my Spanish improves, God will lead us to find a place to worship while we're here. In the meantime, I've been listening to Andy Stanley's sermons each week on NorthPointTV online. I had always heard great things about him, but I'm just now seeing why. His messages are so interesting and so relevant. He has such a gift for explaining Scripture, and I am benefitting from his messages so much already. He has been talking recently about the certainty of God in uncertain times (mostly in reference to America's economic issues), but Wow! does that not apply to me!!!

Also, Beth Moore has a couple of online studies as well. So, I've signed up for one on the fruit of the Spirit. She takes the approach of living a full and abundant life even when your situation or circumstances are beyond you. Again, this takes on such a greater relevance to me than I would have ever expected! With the study, I'm able to download her videos and everything! And, I'm hoping that one of the American girls who rides my bus in the afternoons might do this with me. She mentioned that she loves Beth Moore, too!

So, though I've always avoided technology as much as possible in the past, I'm certainly seeing how beautiful it really is! :o) It has truly been a blessing from God in my life right now and has allowed me to continue to find strength and encouragement when I've needed it most!

The Wheels on the Bus Go 'Round and 'Round

2009-09-27T08:59:00.001-07:00

So, as I've mentioned before, buying a car is just not an option for us right now. Cars do not depreciate here, so even a used car is way out of our price range. For example, we have found 2 different 2005 Ford Explorers similar to the one Wilson used to have. We could only sell his for $4500 before leaving, but the ones we found here were both over $20,000!!!! Unbelievable, right? A new car might cost $18,000 and 5 years later would still sell for about $17,000 regardless of the mileage. So, though we desperately want a car here, we're just having to put that one on the back burner for a while.

In the meantime, we ride a lot of buses. I get picked up for school and brought home each day on a school bus for teachers. It's pretty nice and drops me off right in front of my neighborhood. And, it actually comes to a complete stop for me to step on or off of it. Public buses are a different story! They usually just slow down a little and expect you to just jump on more or less. (Of course, in their defense, they do usually stop for women with babies or elderly people.) It only costs 25 cents to ride which is pretty great! Money's pretty tight for us since we still own our house in the States, so we can't really afford to take taxis too often (even though they're really cheap, too, in comparison to the US). But, with the buses, I have to be very careful. I can't take anything with me because there's a stronger possibility of being robbed if I have a bag or something that could be snatched. This is one of the reasons I don't have too many photos to share anymore. And, as a general rule of thumb, we don't take buses at night--just a little too risky. If we're out after dark, we take a taxi home most of the time. Wilson doesn't have to be so careful when he's by himself because he blends in, but I'm just a big, white, redheaded, American target! I love being the center of attention in most situations, but on a public bus in Ecuador, it's a bit uncomfortable, you know? :o)

So, if you know anyone who wants to buy or rent a house in Winder, let me know! I'd be more than happy to say goodbye to my bus riding days! :o)

Just Say No to Drugs

2009-09-27T08:41:00.000-07:00

Because there is no real internet access at school, messages are brought to teachers by a man who works with the maintenance department. It's so hard for me to communicate with him because he mumbles and doesn't speak very clearly, which is very difficult when you can't understand the language too well to begin with. He's kind of like the Spanish version of Boomhauer from King of the Hill. :o)

Anyway, he comes to my room last week and gives me a plastic bag with 5 pills in it. I was so confused. He handed me a memo with a lot of fine print Spanish as well. I just went ahead and signed that I received it but could not understand why I was being given pills. Had the school been infected with something and I needed to take them immediately? Did I take them for 5 days or what? Needless to say, I did not take them and decided I couldn't wait to tell Wilson that they were just handing out random pills at my school! Another American teacher and I were joking about it. He laughed that a school in the States that did this would have newsreporters all over it!!! And, as it turned out, they were some kind of anti-parasite pill that the school had ordered for something else and just decided to share the leftovers with the teachers. You were only supposed to take one--the other 4 were for family members. The American guy told me I should go to the administration and say that I wasn't feeling too well even though I took all five pills! Ha! They might have given me a full week paid vacation to keep quiet on that one! Ha!

Of course, what's a bit sad is that the Ecuadorian teachers probably just took them without even questioning it. There is a lot of blind following of leadership in this country--no one really questions things for themselves. The other dorky English teachers and I compared this to Brave New World, where the government gives out soma to keep everyone as mindless, happy drones. We, of course, refused! :o)

Change of Scenery

2009-09-27T08:27:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I got to attend a conference in Quito for the IB diploma program for international schools. The change of scenery was really great for me! And the change in weather put a smile on my face as well! :o) Quito is in the middle part of the country and has a very high altitude. Therefore, it's much cooler and there really isn't any humidity at all. My hair looked great for a couple of days finally!!! At night actually, it was soo cold! I wore a sweater and still wished I had gloves and a hat. It was about 40 degrees!!! And the city itself is much cleaner and seemingly calmer. Wilson and I might go together some time in the next few months and see if that might be a better city for us. Who knows! (Although if we did decide that, it'd still be another year or 2 before we'd actually move or anything.)

But, as for the conference, I had a great time! It felt so good to be around educators from all over South America who are genuinely excited about teaching! I learned so much about the IB program which was helpful seeing as how I had no idea what it actually involved, but I also came away with so many great teaching ideas that I can use here or when I return to the States. Because everything has been so overwhelming here, I've struggled with a desire to work hard in an effort to be a "great" teacher while in Ecuador. It's just different, and I hit road blocks from so many different directions--the lack of resources, the lack of administrative support, the entire Ecuadorian philosophy about what constitutes a "good" education, the students' behavior, etc. But, the conference did make me a little more excited and willing to push through some of the difficulties. And, next year, the conference may be in either Miami or Buenos Aires! How cool!!! A free trip to a cool place and an opportunity to gain some more PLU's while I'm living overseas! Yay! :o)

My First Week of Classes

2009-09-01T14:31:00.000-07:00

After substituting in the 7th grade class when I first arrived, I was terrified of teaching here. I had no idea how bad these students were going to be and how in the world I was going to discipline them. I love teaching so much, but I was scared that I wasn't going to be able to actually teach these kids. However, thank the Lord, my classes and my schedule are GREAT!!!

I'm teaching 4 classes of 10th grade students and I team-teach one 11th grade class. So, I have 2 planning periods each day, and I actually have 3 planning periods on Monday (the 11th grade class only meets 4 days a week--not sure why). And, the kids are by no means perfect, but they're normal kids. There are a few talkative or arrogant kids, but that would be the same in any 10th grade class in the States. The English levels vary, so it's tough to challenge the top kids without losing the lower kids, but I'm learning. The class sizes are pretty large with around 32 in each class, but I'm adjusting to that, too.

The hardest part for me is simply the lack of resources and technology. I was so spoiled to spend my first 7 years of teaching in such a great school, so I actually don't know how to teach without the resources I'm so used to! There's no internet access in my room. (There's also no printer for teachers to use and definitely no paper!!!) To watch a film, we have to take the students across campus to an audio-visual room that's set up like a theatre, not a classroom. The classrooms are too bright because of all the windows (needed since there's no air conditioning), so I can't use an LCD projector for powerpoints very well. And, the copies are VERY limited. But, I'm adjusting. I created my own webpage, and I have students go there and print out articles or handouts on their own. I can also upload some of the powerpoints for the students to study at home instead of during class. That has worked well so far. So, we'll see...

But, all in all, I'm pleased with the teaching part of my job. Now, if I can just learn their names!!!

Relaxing at the Beach

2009-09-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

So, we did go to the beach two weekends ago with some of Wilson's family. The beach we went to is actually called Playas (which means beach in Spanish). I kept asking Wilson which beach and couldn't understand why he wouldn't tell me any specifics. Ha! Anyway, we took a 2 hour bus ride to the beach which was not too bad. (There were only a few chickens who rode the bus with us--but they were well-behaved, trained cock fighters. And, no, I'm not kidding!) It only cost $10 total for the two of us both ways. (Of course, the bus stations charge you for toilet paper in the bathrooms, so I guess it cost us a little more! Ha!)

But, the beach was great! The house was right on the beach and was so peaceful! It had about 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and kitchen and living room areas. We sang karaoke on Saturday night (remember their weird obsession at the wedding?) up on the roof with the ocean in the background. They had also fixed lasagna for me, and it was actually pretty good. (Of course, when Wilson's sister-in-law served it to me for breakfast, I wasn't quite as impressed. But I ate it anyway to be polite.) On Sunday, Wilson and I went walking on the beach for a while. Then, we rented chairs and an umbrella for $3 and just enjoyed the time to relax. (They also had horse rides you could take, so we plan to do that next time!) And sadly, I did get burned from our walk. I need like SPF 200 down here! :o)

But, how cool to take a weekend trip to the beach and not spend more than $20!!! And the owner of the house said he'd give us the keys any weekend we'd like. Yay! That might be a monthly habit for me and Wilson now. So, if anyone wants to visit, we have the perfect place to take you!

My Safe Haven

2009-08-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

So, our apartment is definitely my happy place here in Ecuador. It’s so beautiful and so safe, and I just feel comfortable here! After looking at several other apartments first that were old and dirty and had bugs everywhere, this place is really a little slice of heaven. It’s hard to explain if you can’t see how the people here live, but we feel very blessed to have found this place. Each day our landlord lady, Elizabeth, adds something else to the place. Just yesterday, she brought us two more chairs for the “living room” and is still bringing us 4 new chairs for our kitchen table. She even gave Wilson a power strip when he asked. And she’s such a nice lady. Her husband is an admiral in the navy here or something and is fairly important. But he spends most of his time in Quito. He has these bodyguard/personal assistant type guys who stay here with Elizabeth, her mother, and their 3 boys. The main guy is Kleber, and he’s my buddy now! And, her youngest son, Alexander, who is about 8, will just talk to me forever! We bonded because he saw my teddybear in the apartment and brought his over to show me he still sleeps with one, too. Ha! And when I mentioned to Elizabeth’s mother that I liked her house shoes and was trying to find a similar pair, she wrote down my size and said she’d find them for me. So, it feels so nice to know that there’s someone next door looking out for us! And, of course, it helps me practice my Spanish, too! :o)

Classics Never Get Old

2009-08-20T10:30:00.000-07:00

So, I mentioned before that adjusting to the food here has been difficult. I have branched out a little and now eat shawarmas (It’s basically just a chicken wrap, but it sounds like I’m eating something exotic, right?). And this morning, I tried the box milk with my cereal. (It really creeped me out that the milk was sold in a box on the shelf, warm!) Wilson also buys a lot of fresh fruit because it’s so cheap. We got 10 peaches for $1!!! So, I’ve been eating grapes, strawberries, and peaches as well. And, now that our stove is fixed in our new place, I can start cooking for myself. The first thing I bought to cook was Kraft Macaroni and Cheese!!! I can’t wait! :o) But, I just can’t part from my favorite classic—peanut butter and jelly. I eat a pb&j sandwich every day! And actually, it’s better here! The jelly I use is a blend of strawberry and blackberry, and it’s delicious! And the best part? I can buy bread with the crust already taken off!! As those of you who know me know, I still take the crust off my bread when I eat a sandwich, so it’s been so wonderful to buy crustless bread!!! Yay! And, thanks to my mother insisting that she throw several packs of Kool-aid into my suitcase, I can drink grape Kool-aid with my sandwich! (Of course, I have to buy the water to make the Kool-aid with, but it’s totally worth it!) :o)

The Wedding Singer

2009-08-20T10:27:00.000-07:00

The wedding was nice, and I certainly enjoyed getting dressed up. But it was also quite interesting (Kristin, you should take notes!) First of all, it wasn’t an actual wedding ceremony. They just did a civil service and had a reception/party later which is what we actually attended. (That’s not really the norm here, but it’s fairly common.) In the beginning, it seemed pretty typical—we mingled, we danced, we ate wedding cookies. Then, I realized there were a lot of differences from what I was used to. A mariachi band showed up and sang, inviting the groom to come up and sing with them, and they were actually quite good. Dinner was served around midnight (which is normal here). Anyone other than me would have loved the food. :o) Wilson’s brother Hans gave a speech and recited 2 poems (I seriously thought this was hilarious! He was so over-the-top dramatic, but everyone else seemed to take it seriously. I felt like I was in the middle of a Saturday Night Live skit! Everyone would have died laughing if one of my brothers had recited a poem at my wedding!!). Wilson’s brother Xavier (pronounced Javier) started singing karaoke after the bride herself had already done 2 songs. (Note: no one was drunk either. Maybe a glass or two of wine, but this was just their normal selves!) And, the worst part of the night was that there was no cake! What kind of a wedding doesn’t serve cake? But it gets worse. Actually, there was a cake there (which helped me to endure the poetry reading and bad karaoke), but it turned out that it was just there for decoration!!!! It was a fake cake!!! Ha! But, overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it. And, the bride’s sister has a huge house on the beach and they’ve invited us to go this weekend for another party they’re all having. So, I’m practicing my karaoke so I’ll be ready! :o)

I Am Who I Am

2009-08-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

So, when I first came here, I worried so much about not ever being able to fit in. I completely related to Elizabeth Gilbert in her book Eat Pray Love when she is talking about not having the right qualities to be a great traveler. She says, “First off, I don’t blend. Tall and blond and pink-complexioned, I am less a chameleon than a flamingo. Everywhere I go but Dusseldorf, I stand out garishly….I also have a shortage of personal coolness, which can be a liability in travel. I have never learned how to arrange my face into that blank expression of competent invisibility that is so useful when traveling in dangerous, foreign places. You know—that super-relaxed, totally-in-charge expression which makes you look like you belong there, anywhere, everywhere, even in the middle of a riot in Jakarta. Oh, no. When I don’t know what I’m doing, I look like I don’t know what I’m doing. When I’m excited or nervous, I look excited or nervous. And when I am lost, which is frequently, I look lost. My face is a transparent transmitter of my every thought.” That is soo me!!!! But, ironically, after so many years of my own insecurity and self consciousness, I have finally realized that I like who I am. I don’t want to change to fit in here. Even though people in my new neighborhood think I’m a complete weirdo because I smile and wave when I walk by, I’m going to keep smiling and waving. It’s just who I am. No matter what I do here, I won’t ever completely fit in—I mean, I’m tall, pale, and redheaded!!—but I’ve now realized that I’m okay with that. I’m just going to keep doing what I do, even with my world’s worst poker face, because I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me! :o)

Pretty Pretty Princess

2009-08-13T08:20:00.001-07:00

For those of you who know me, you know that I like to dress up. I like to wear skirts and heels. I like to wear long necklaces and dangly earrings. I like to feel pretty, I guess. Well, at my new school, I don’t get to do any of that and it’s killing me!!! Everyday I have to wear a school polo shirt. I was told to wear jeans most days, but I just hate to wear jeans to work! I’ve tried black pants, Bermuda shorts, and different skirts, but I just feel sloppy no matter what. Most teachers at least get multiple color shirts, but they only had white shirts in my size, so I was given 5 white polos. And, the shirts are too short to stay tucked in but not fitted enough to look good left out. Arrggghhhh!!!!! And long necklaces just don’t go with polos!!! I was also informed 2 days ago that women are not supposed to wear any shoes that show their toes. Oh my! I don’t even own anything but sandals and flipflops (other than my running shoes, of course)!! But, no one actually enforces the shoe issue, so I’ll keep wearing my flipflops, I suppose. Wilson and I have a family wedding to attend this weekend, and he couldn’t understand why I was so excited to go to a wedding where I won’t know hardly anyone. I told him it’s because I get to DRESS UP!!!! I’m so excited to put on a dress, a pair of heels, and lots of jewelry!! :o) I can’t wait!

My Happy Thoughts

2009-08-11T10:25:00.000-07:00

I promised Wilson this weekend that I would try to be more positive. I have a tendency to become overwhelmed by all the negative, so here is my effort to counteract that issue. Positive things here in Ecuador include:
1. Kentucky Fried Chicken: It's no Zaxby's or Chick-fil-a, but I certainly enjoyed my chicken fingers and fries on Saturday!
2. Salsa Dancing: We got to go out dancing on Saturday night. We went to a place Wilson's brother told us about, and it was really cool. Good music, classy atmosphere, nice dance floor. Of course, we were the only "school" dancers there, so we stuck out quite a bit. But, I think we stick out anyway simply because we're both about 2 feet taller than everyone else! :o)
3. Our boxes: After Wilson spent everyday for 5 days and a little bit of money, we finally got our boxes released to us. We had shipped 4 boxes of our stuff here, and it was really fun to open them up and go through them. I forgot about some of the random things I brought, but I'm glad I have a few pieces of home. My UGA bottle opener that plays the fight song. Our laminated engagement announcement magnet for the fridge. My disco ball ornament to hang in my classroom. And of course all the practical stuff like towels, sheets, kitchen utensils, printer, etc.
4. Cheerleading: I'm really enjoying cheerleading so far. The other 2 coaches are really nice, and I'm enjoying not being in charge! Of course, I can't seem to concentrate during practices because of all the iguanas running around. It's sooo bizarre!!!
5. The river: At the back of our gated community, there's a park that sits on the river. It's so peaceful!!!! Wilson and I went yesterday morning and just sat there for a little while. So, now I have a place to go unwind when everything here in the city gets to me.

So, each day gets a little better. Wilson and I have discussed that we'll never actually be able to get used to it as much as deal with it, but progress is always good!!!

Ecuadorian Politics

2009-08-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

So, I've decided to try and keep up with the politics of Ecuador and South America while I'm here. Ecuador is in an interesting place right now as far as being a leader in South America which is unusual for this country. The president, Raphael Correa, seems to me to be much like Obama. He's making a lot of changes in this country and people either love him or hate him. He's done some good stuff like offering free college tuition to people, and he also became the President of Unisur yesterday, the South American organization made up of all the presidents here to try and work together for the good of all of South America. He's also trying to change the money back to sucres and stop using the US dollar. But, he also makes me nervous. He's buddies with Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president. If you don't know much about him, look him up--it'll be interesting for sure! At yesterday's Unisur meeting, as he was voicing his discontent with US military bases in Colombia, he announced to everyone that if even one Colombian soldier crosses his border, he will go to war with Colombia, no questions asked. He told everyone that he knows the US is in Colombia because they're all trying to kill him. And he compared himself to Castro and Saddam. Oh my! So, pray that Correa stays out of all of Chavez's drama and keeps his focus on helping Ecuador to grow.

My Knight in Shining Armor

2009-08-04T08:48:00.000-07:00

Wilson has been wonderful with helping me adjust here. It’s actually been pretty tough for both of us, but he has to stay strong since I tend to fall apart easily. He’s so patient with me, and he listens to me cry and vent when I get upset. He takes me for TGIFridays or cheese pizza when I just can’t take plain rice anymore. He talks to the people at my school to make sure they’ll get a bus for me like they originally said they would (because of course when I got here they said they couldn’t). He laughs with me about how crazy some things are here in this country (especially the whole driving situation!!!! Wilson had to pay off a policeman who wanted to give him a ticket for talking on his cell phone while driving, but no one in this country puts their child in a carseat or a seatbelt!!!! Wilson’s niece and nephew laughed at me for wearing mine!) And overall, Wilson has just bent over backwards to make me happy. Everything is much different than he’d expected as well, and we’ve really just had to stick together and work as a team. I think this whole experience will be quite trying for our relationship, but I think we’ve both seen how much love we have for one another as well. We’re both working equally hard to make each other’s life happier/better, and I think we’ll be a much stronger couple for it.

Hogar Dulce Hogar

2009-08-04T08:47:00.000-07:00

So, our new home is beautiful! Of course, I don’t know that you can appreciate it unless you saw how most people here live. Some of the first apartments we were shown were so sketchy!!!! (And I won’t go into the details, but one other home fell through at the last minute when Wilson was actually on the way to give our deposit money. I didn’t take that too well, but I guess things work out as they should.) But, although this one is a bit more expensive, it’s totally worth it! It’s in a gated community, so it’s perfectly safe for me to walk around by myself. And there’s even a little park at the back that overlooks the river. So beautiful! It’s 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room, and kitchen. And there’s a nice patio outside as well. It was completely unfurnished (which here means no fridge, no stove, no nothing), but for a little more, the landlady added a lot. She gave us all the kitchen stuff, a sofa, a new tv and stand, a coffee table, a kitchen table with chairs, a bed, 2 nightstands, curtains, pictures for the wall, and several kitchen supplies. She even brought us some of her own sheets to borrow until we could get our own. She took me on a tour of her home so I could see her style of decorating to make sure I would like what she did. Of course, I’m just so happy to have a clean, safe home, that I could care less about the style. Wilson and I both prayed a lot over finding a home, and we have just trusted that He has a purpose for us being here. And now for a car…

Picky Eaters Finish Last

2009-08-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

Okay, so we all knew food would be a problem for me here. Luckily (knock on wood), I haven’t gotten sick like last time. However, I have lost a little weight already simply because I eat less. It all kind of grosses me out to be honest. Even the chicken here is just kind of gross. But, I bought my peanut butter and jelly and my Snack Pack butterscotch pudding, and I at least have something to eat for lunch each day. Wilson tried to take me for Mexican the other night, but the Mexican food here is HORRIBLE!!! And there’s no cheese dip anywhere! So, for all the Americans who assume all Latinos are Mexicans, I have proof that they’re wrong! Ecuadorians make the worst Mexican food ever! So, whenever I’m feeling a bit frustrated with the food, Wilson takes me to TGIFridays! It costs the same as in the States, and that’s pretty expensive here. A normal Ecuadorian meal only costs about $2—drink included. But it’s totally worth it on those days when I’ve just had enough! My landlady and her mother joked with me that maybe I’d get hungry enough that I’d start trying new things. They think I’d love ceviche and seafood and patacones con queso. Clearly, they do not know me well!

Friends are Friends Forever

2009-08-04T08:43:00.000-07:00

Wilson’s childhood friend Jose Franco Camba has been a lifesaver!!! They’ve barely been in touch all these years Wilson has been in the States, but he has helped us so much as we’ve tried to get started here. He has a car, so he’s given Wilson rides everywhere while I’ve been at school. Actually, his daughter goes to my school, so it’s worked out great! He also helped sign for Wilson to get a bank account and said he’d cosign for a car as well. I won’t even go into how difficult everything is here! His wife is also very nice, and I look forward to learning more Spanish so I can talk with her more! Jose and his wife own a candy distribution company. He’s already given me several big bags of candy, so of course he’s won me over!!! How blessed to have good friends when you need them!

Karma

2009-08-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

We went to the beach my first weekend here with Wilson’s brother David and his family. We actually went to several different beaches along the coast, and they were all absolutely gorgeous! While in Manta, Wilson kept telling me that we were going to a beach called Puerta Lopa because of the cool “walls” there. I was so confused because he kept telling me how everyone liked to go watch the “walls.” Finally after much explanation, I realized he meant “whales”! Ha! So I had a great laugh at his English mistake. However, it came back to haunt me. The word for whales in Spanish is ballenas. Most Spanish speakers pronounce the double l as a j sound. So, when I was on the phone with Wilson’s brother Edward, I told him that we were on our way to see the “bajinas” which sounds just like vaginas!!!! Everyone got a big kick out of that one! So, Wilson went to see the “walls” and I went to see the “vaginas.” Oh my!
They were really cool though! We took a boat ride, and we saw about 10 of them. They travel in pairs, so we saw about 5 different sets. And of course, I got sick on the boat and started puking. But, all the same, it was a great time. We also went down to Montanitas which is a cool surf town. Wilson has decided he can spend one month there and become a professional surfer. Ha!

My New School

2009-08-04T06:12:00.000-07:00

So, it’s not exactly paradise, but it’ll certainly be an adventure! The high school classrooms do not have air conditioning. They just have ceiling fans. It’s not too bad right now because it’s winter, so it only gets to about 80 and there’s always a nice breeze. We’ll see what happens during the summer months! Also, there are iguanas everywhere! I’ve been told they often just walk right into classrooms. They fall out of the trees a lot, too, so you have to be careful! Ha! And everything is very unorganized. It’s tough going from the wonderful Collins Hill to something so different, but hopefully I’ll adjust soon. The upside is that I came about the time of their final exams for the first bimester. So, I substituted one week, and then I’m getting paid for 2 weeks to just sit around (which is why I was finally able to work on my blog!). Then I have a week vacation, and then finally I’ll start teaching. It’s nice to kind of ease into all of this though, so I’ll be in a better place when I start teaching. And they’ve already signed me up for an IB conference in Quito in September. Getting those professional development hours might be easier than I thought!

The Best Laid Plans of Allison and Wilson

2009-08-04T06:11:00.001-07:00

So, nothing here in Ecuador is as expected. I guess the Lord is teaching me patience and flexibility. The director of the school told me that they only hired American teachers—not true. My first faculty meeting was completely in Spanish! Yikes! So far I’ve met only about 6 American teachers and they’re all guys! The director of the school told me that there was a place where all the American teachers live and that he’d take me there himself when I arrived—not true again. He handed me and Wilson the classifieds of the newspaper and told us we should spend at least a month or two looking for a good apartment. I had to work hard not to cry on the spot! But, the athletic director (a much more helpful man) gave us the name and number of a realtor. So, after 2 weeks of being “homeless” we finally moved in this past weekend to our new apartment. The director of the school also told me that the students were pretty good—you guessed it, not true! I substituted for the first week in a 7th grade class and thought I was in hell. Absolutely no respect! I’m going to have to be more of a disciplinarian than ever before, although I’ve heard that the 10th graders won’t be so bad. Wish me luck!

We Arrived!!

2009-08-04T06:04:00.000-07:00

Well, we arrived safely and with all of our luggage. Yay! When getting off the airplane, they made everyone wear masks due to the swine flu. But, as soon as you got to baggage claim, you could take them off, so I don’t know that this method is really effective per se. Oh well—it makes for a great photo!

Here we go...

2009-07-17T20:31:00.000-07:00

A year ago, my husband, Wilson, asked me if I'd be willing to move to Ecuador for a few years so that he could go back to school. So, long story short, we leave on Monday. The past few months have been a whirlwind of stress and emotions as we've prepared for the move, but now we're just about ready. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. We truly feel that God has great things in store for us on this new journey, so I'm trying to focus on the excitement part. :o)

Wilson plans to attend the University of Guayaquil for medical school, and I will be working at Colegio Americano as a high school English teacher and cheerleading coach.

So...my next post will be from Ecuador. Keep us in your prayers!!